Extremities

I've been reading through the Gospels lately, and it's got me thinking - which disciple am I most like? The more I read, the more I realise that I am very much like Peter in many ways. One of Peter's most notable traits is how much of a hothead he is. That's not me, but that is also not what I notice most about him. What I notice about him is how extreme his moods and actions are. Take for example the scene where Jesus starts washing the disciple's feet. I'm sure they were all uncomfortable, but the only one to speak was Peter. He starts out completely mortified (missing the point of Jesus' actions completely, but I don't really blame him) and absolutely refuses to allow Jesus to continue. There is no way that Jesus would ever be allowed to do something so demeaning to Peter! But when Jesus insists, Peter swings all the way to the other side. 'Don't just wash my feet,' he says, 'but give me a sponge bath while you're at it.' Suddenly Peter wants it all and he is set that Jesus does a complete and thorough job (again completely missing the point). He is always willing to do nothing or everything, and there is very little room for anything in the middle. When he decides on something he just charges forward - his mind is made up and so now it's time to do it. He jumps out of the boat to greet Jesus because he wants to greet him and greet him now, so why worry about wet clothes or dignity or anything. It's time to go.
In many ways, I'm like that as well. I'm not quite as bold as Peter, but I am definitely a child of extremes. Someone said to me this weekend that I am someone who doesn't care about most things and is easy-going, but when I do care I care completely. And it's true. I don't let things bother me, but when something affects me, I let it affect me completely. If I'm going to do something, then once I decide you can't change my mind. This Switzerland trip, for example - I heard about it one week and then forgot, and then the next week I heard about it again at church. Within two days I was starting to get ready to go because I was decided that I was going. I didn't hem and haw for a long time, I just wasn't sure and then I was.
That's not to say I'm decisive. As most people who are around me know I am very indecisive most of the time. But that still plays into this whole area. What I'm not decisive about are things that I don't see as being vitally important. When I say I don't care what movie I watch or where I eat, it's because I will be happy either way. But if I don't want to eat something, then I don't want to eat it at all ever (peanut butter). And when I don't want to do something, then I won't.
When I make up my mind, it is made up. If it is an opinion, then I won't even bother arguing because I don't care if other people have a different opinion than I, they're allowed to be wrong :D Seriously, if it's just an opinion (this movie is better than that), then I won't bother arguing. I don't see the point, it's just a wasted effort and sometimes I think it's arrogant to try and change someone's opinion of unimportant matters. It's almost as though I would be saying that I am more important than others. But that's just my take on it.
If something matters to me, though, then I am an unmovable force - I can outstubborn most people I think. Sometimes I hold my ground when it doesn't matter just because I feel like showing that I can be more stubborn than whoever else. It's a passive aggressive thing. One area that I wouldn't be joking about even remotely, though, is in how guys treat women. It should ALWAYS be with respect, and when I hear that one of my female friends has been mistreated, then I'm angry at whoever was being the jerk, even if it was years ago. I feel that there is no reason for acting like an ass, and when a guy does it absolutely breaks my heart. I've been fortunate in that I haven't had to deal with that very often, usually just hearing about past stories, but even those are bad enough. It's not even specific people hurting friends - sometimes I get mad at society in general, everytime I hear a woman say she needs to lose some weight or that she can't eat french fries because they are too fattening. It's totally not fair that woman spend so much time worrying about their physical appearance when it doesn't really matter. I understand the desire to be a healthy weight. If a person is at an unhealthy weight then there are problems that can arise from that. In that case, losing some weight is understandable, and making different food choices is commendable. But when a woman is not at that point, but she feels bad because she isn't a large-breasted twig, then I am very frustrated. Ladies, listen to me - be happy with who you are! If a guy isn't interested in you unless you are of a certain body image, then he isn't worth your time and you should just get away from him!
Okay, so I don't know exactly how I ended up ranting about that, I guess I have some not so hidden issues with that entire issue. But really, I would expect Saint Peter to react much the same way. Very extreme, very passionate.
Well, that's my rant for today. Check back tomorrow when I talk about my Switzerland trip, some more specifics and stories and whatever I think of.